Wednesday, June 15, 2005

READING BETWEEN THE LINES

Communist North Korea rolled out the red carpet for South Korea dignitaries Wednesday but kept its nuclear weapons ambitions under wraps at a Pyongyang festival marking a 2000 inter-Korean summit.

The celebrations remained free of any boasts about nuclear weapons as some 400 South Koreans, including 40 government officials, took part in the four-day festival in the North Korean capital. (emphasis mine)

One wonders what the eagle-eyed AFP reporter thought was meant by the event described in the JoongAng Ilbo as follows:

As An Kyong-ho, a North Korean delegation member, said in a speech, "We are no longer a puny nation," Unification Minister Chung Dong-young of South Korea nodded and clapped.(emphasis mine)

Last I checked, North Korea has neither added any territory nor significant numbers of citizens. Just what, then, was Mr. An referring to if not North Korea's nukes?